Nisa Rodriguez punching for 6th Golden Gloves title

Nisa Rodriguez has five Daily News Golden Gloves titles, one for each year that her son, Emerson, has been alive. Naturally, she'd like to add another one this year to keep up.

Seven years after winning her first championship, Rodriguez (Atlas Cops N Kids), 24, has the opportunity to capture her sixth Gloves necklace, something only three other competitors — Davey Villar, Glen Ghany and Christina Cruz — have done in tournament history.

Advertisement

"Every time I go back to the finals it feels like the first time," she said. "There's always a different motivation for me. When I started, when I won the Gloves at 17, I was fueled by a lot of anger I had built growing up. Now it's different. I have people that look up to me. I have my son who motivates me. I work in a school as a basketball coach and a swim instructor and I have a whole bunch of kids that look up to me. It's amazing. I've had them tell me it's nice seeing someone living their dream, doing what they love and being recognized for it."

Rodriguez has won four titles at 154 pounds and another at 141. She returns to the 141-pound division championship on April 1 opposite Stacia Suttles (Morris Park BC), an upstart 20-year-old from the Bronx who has surprised everyone in her run to the 2015 finals, including herself.

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around the whole thing," said Suttles, who only began boxing in January of 2014. "I imagined competing and doing well, but I never imagined going to the Barclays Center and having a shot at the Golden Gloves in my first year."

"I think just making it to Barclays Center is opening so many doors for me," she continued. "It's honestly boosting my confidence in the boxing world. I never thought I'd be making it this far and now I think I have a shot at doing whatever I want."

With a tournament record eight titles to her name — and a chance at a ninth on April 2 — Cruz is the tournament's undisputed Wonder Woman. But with another win, Rodriguez can stay right on her heels and continue to be Emerson's super hero.

"He's not a baby anymore, he's understanding what's going on," Rodriguez said. "He tells me, 'all right, let's go running before school. Or let's make a smoothie.' He's just motivating me even more to do better and to keep him proud of me."

"I've got to compete with Iron Man and Spider-Man, but I'm still up there."